Courtesy Mike Relm is producing his debut solo album, complete with toys and videos. For now, you can check him out at the Blue Man Group’s ‘How to Be a Megastar 2.0’ show.

Mike Relm can't help but stand out on the Blue Man Group's current tour. He is, after all, the only performer on the bill who isn't shaved bald or painted blue.

Relm, a DJ from San Francisco, caught on with the Blue Man Group when the trio spotted him on YouTube. The group asked him to serve as the opener for its 2007 “How to Be a Megastar 2.0” Tour, which hits AT&T Center on Monday, Dec. 3, and Relm eagerly accepted. And why not, considering touring with one of the nation's most popular acts trumped some of Relm's previous occupations, including a minimum-wage movie theater gig.

Relm discussed that job, his career and how “Office Space” factors into his show in a chat with 210SA.
 

You started DJing at 16, but won't reveal the name you went by back then. Why?

Because I went with a couple of really corny ones. I was young and ridiculously spacey. I was a kid, but when I (later) used DJ Relm, it still didn't feel quite like me. If you're a DJ and put “DJ” and then another word, that's your name. I was thinking, “It's got to be better than this.”

You worked a lot of odd jobs before hitting it big. What was your favorite and least favorite?

My favorite was probably an office job I had, filing papers and stuff. To me, it was cool because I could zone out and listen to music, just kind of be in my own world while doing alphabetizing and stuffing envelopes. It didn't require a whole lot of thought. Plus, I was making more than I did when I was making pizzas, and I was able to be in my own world. Another cool one was working at a movie theater. I got to sit and watch whatever movie I wanted all the time. But it didn't last long, because we were grossly underpaid. I think minimum wage was like $4.25 at the time ..... I had to scrape gum but the perks were good, so it was the best and worst job I had.

Backstage, when the show is over, are the Blue Man guys just normal like everyone else?

A couple of them are just normal. For the most part, we're always talking about music, films and stuff ..... One thing we're all into are music and art, so that tends to be where the conversation goes, which is great. Touring all the time, you can get homesick and miss certain things, but it's cool hanging out, going to theaters and watching movies. We're keeping it interesting.

Do they wear the blue makeup all the time?

They wear blue for the shows and photos and everything, but they definitely don't wear it on the bus. It's such a long process, and they're in (makeup) for a while. It also takes awhile to get it off.

Have you seen the “Arrested Development” where Tobias wanted to become a Blue Man?

I dig that show. They've got the best sense of humor, and I was really into it. That was one of the first things we (Relm and the Blue Man Group) talked about, aside from the Intel commercials and the Vegas show.

How tough is it to engage an audience, when you're sort of confined behind your turntables?

I look up a lot, and I've learned how to take some peeks at the audience, to make sure they're paying attention. I'm so comfortable on the turntables, I just feel I can go anywhere in the room with my eyes and check on the audience. The mic is right there, and if someone says something out of nowhere, I can comment on it.

You even sample “Office Space” on the screen during your show. What part of the movie do you sample, and why?

We sample the one where they're at the party, and the guy is thinking of asking the girl to go out with him — the “oh” face. It's just so funny to me as a clip ..... It's kind of a funny scene visually, and it's one of the few clips that when I started practicing it, it worked exactly the same. That doesn't happen a lot. A lot of times, I think something will be great, but I'll do it and it's not so hot. That was one of the few that worked exactly as I thought it would. People seem to like it.

CLINT HALE | 210SA